A/N Aha! I checked my e-mail! PEOPLE HAVE THIS ON STORY ALERT! Yay! Though I don't know why you wouldn't review, if you were on story alert, 'cause I know who you are...Oh well. Maybe you don't want others to know...But, I'd love for you to review.
But, for the two who do review, thank you so much Geojas378 and cherrycherrylove! MUAHAHA! CLIFFIE! And as for the confusion...I hope it means you don't know who Red X is and you're confused about that, rather than the not-good confusion. But it seems to be the former, good one, so...yeah. If anyone has any questions, comments, not flames, please review!
I do not own Teen Titans…
"I'm sorry about my dad." Tori said instantly, the two barely halfway down the hall. "He's just really protective. I guess it's typical, but still. Sorry."
"It's alright." Robin said, deep in thought. He knew little of parenting, how they were supposed to act. The memories of his own were slightly blurred, and long gone before puberty. And living with the Bat, well, when it came to girls there was one set pattern: Angst Angst Anst SEX Angst. So parental interaction was clearly something he was inexperienced with, but Maddox's look seemed far too dangerous. Those red eyes of his, too…A theory was forming in him, or maybe it was a little stronger than that.
The two silently walked down the stairs into the open, walking towards the mall. After awhile of Robin thinking to himself, he looked over to Tori, who was if anything more aware than before. A glare was set on her face at every man that passed her on the street, aware of them completely as they scanned her. Robin was honestly surprised, his eyes opening to all the stares she received just walking down to the mall. A few even made crude comments as they past her, and Robin was rather appalled. Did Starfire and Raven have to put up with this? No, probably not-since they could clearly knock them into a coma in a moment. Normal girls like Tori, though, the world was probably even scarier.
But she kept her chin up as she entered the mall, looking around.
"So, what now?" She asked.
"I wanted to talk to you, about Ganz." He began.
"Oh." The two walked to a little café with tables and chairs outside. She sat in one and he sat across from her, and she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
"What you said, about Ganz-"
"Jason, I feel horrible." Robin raised his eyebrows and she attempted to run a hand through her tightly tied-back hair, looking down and wringing her hands in her lap. "I mean, yeah, alright, I wanted to tase him. I still think I should have. But I never really think he'd die, I didn't want him to, and now that he is…It's just," She took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes. "I don't know. Bad."
"It's okay." Robin comforted, giving her a small smile. She attempted one back, and Robin felt guilty once again. What was this, his talent for making pretty girls feel awful? Oh no, he wasn't oblivious to Tori's looks, how her delicate features cast small shadows in the bright lights of the mall, but Starfire was, well, his girl. Knowing this, or maybe even knowing this, he reached out and touched her hand, finding it cold as he wrapped his fingers around it. "What happened was awful, but it wasn't your fault." A tingle ran up his arm from touching her, and he slowly pulled back as Tori stared at his hand. He looked away, his eyes looking around the mall for anything. There were shops, stores, food, clothes, in the center was a videogame-the dancing one where your feet had to match the arrows, all set in time to the music. "Wanna try that?"
"DDR?" She asked, a smile forming on her face as she looked at the music. "I haven't done that in forever."
"I've never done it." Robin stood up, an incredulous look appeared on Tori's face as she stood up as well.
"You've never done DDR?" She asked, the two walking over to the game.
"Is it that hard to believe?"
"It's like saying you've never played Mega Monkies! Everyone has played Mega Monkies at one point in time. Right?"
"I guess that's true."
It was early enough in the morning for the game to be empty, and as Robin reached into his back pocket for quarters Tori had already pulled them out of her bag.
"I've got it-" Began Robin, but Tori shrugged and put down her bag.
"Too late. Maybe next time." She smiled, taking a deep breath as she stepped onto a pad. "We can start at beginner, since you've never done this before."
"I'm sure I'll catch on." Robin shrugged, figuring the game couldn't be that hard. It was still just a game, and besides, his coordination was impressive anyhow. "Choose the level."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure."
"Alright…Heavy it is." Robin watched a rather malicious grin form on her face, but let his eyes wander back to the screen. "You might want to take off your sunglasses."
"I'll be fine."
The arrows came faster than he thought possible, still intertwining with the music and switching on and anytime off the beat. He had to focus on what came right before the set and move accordingly, his feet starting to move with the beat. Soon it became a fluid motion, and he looked over to Tori. Her movements were entirely systematic, ignorant of the beat as she moved with precise accuracy. Her face was turning pink, her eyes focused on the screen, connecting with his only for a moment. She grinned, turned back to the screen, his eyes tracing her movements. Her long legs stepped on every arrow gently, her torso still. Almost.
"You beat me." She gaped, inhaling deeply through her nose as the score came up. She looked at him, eyebrows raised. "You sure you haven't played this before."
"I learn fast."
"I hadn't noticed." She didn't say anything more, and it didn't faze Robin until Tori jumped off the mat. He opened his mouth to say something and she reached for her bag, but she pulled out some more quarters and placed them into the machine. She jumped back onto the mat, looking back at the screen.
"It's on Challenge now." She didn't look at him when she spoke, a smile on her face. Robin honestly had no idea what 'Challenge' meant, but as the arrows came onto the screen, he realized it was harder than before. He relaxed into the grove, while Tori still kept her robotic movements. As much as he focused on her and the screen, he wasn't unaware of the crowd forming as they played song after song. They began to cheering, and as they did Tori's movements became more fluid as a smile lit up her face. She liked the attention. She glowed in it. All it did for Robin was make him feel uncomfortable. He was used to stares, but usually they'd move on or be from a distance, nothing like this before. All eyes were on him, waiting for him to slip up, or do something amazing.
The music stopped to cheering, Tori beaming at the screen even though the score said she lost again. He could see her face tense at her loosing, but she still smiled when she looked at him. A thin layer of sweat coated her pink face, her thick locks stuck in her face as she re-tied her ponytail.
"They were so fast!"
"It was incredible!"
"Pssh. I could do that-"
"Can they move?"
"Did any of you want to go next?" Robin asked rather nervously, looking away and scratching the back of his head. He wanted to leave, get away from the stares.
"No, if you guys want to go again-"
"Why not?" Smiled Tori, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Unless, of course, you don't want to." She added quickly, though it was quite clear she wanted to stay.
"Well…" Began Robin, looking at her. She was so happy, not crying, beaming right at him. "Just one more…"
She jumped off the dance mat, ruffling through her bag, her face falling.
"I'm out of quarters."
"Here, you can have mine, but what did they mean by move? You were moving, after all." Said a girl in the crowd, Robin turning to thank whoever offered out of sheer politeness. He was a little annoyed, since it could have ended there.
"Oh, it's like break dancing. On the mats." Tori explained.
"Then show me, then I'll give you the change."
"He's never done DDR."
"Of course he hasn't." Robin's eyes scanned the crowd, and he paled. Tori was talking to a girl in a pale purple sari with black embroidery, the cloth held up to cover her face. All except for two violet eyes.
"Just humor me and try." She continued, her eyes focused on Robin as she handed the coins to Tori. Tori thanked her and made her way back to the mat, Robin quickly retreating under the unwavering stare and turning to the screen.
"Think you handle this?" Asked Tori, smiling. When Robin merely nodded, her face fell with concern. "Hey, are you okay Jason?"
"Jason?" Asked Raven under her breath, Robin looking over his shoulder to what he could swear was an eyebrow raised under the cloth. Tori followed his gaze and turned a brighter pink, looking away.
"Oh, you know her, right?" It was a question, and she looked at the floor before she looked at him.
"Yeah." He allowed, Raven still staring.
"Is she your girlfriend?"
"What?" Robin was thrown, his head whipping back to Tori who looked surprised. "Her? No, no, we're just friends.
"Oh." She smiled, putting in the coins. "I mean, it's not like I really care."
As Robin tried to speak, the song began. There were less arrows, but that didn't capture Robin's attention. In a moment Tori's cybernetic moves turned into what immediately came into the boy wonder's eyes as a noodle. Sometimes it was cooked, fluid and moving to the music. She would suddenly snap, turn into a dry, uncooked noodle, her body tight and her movements sharp. She would bend at her knees, use her hands to hit the arrows, turn around 180 degrees, her eyes closed half the time. She grinned at him, and immediately he began to up the ante, adding spins and back-bends. The crowd cheer, but he kept his gaze away from Raven.
Tori suddenly encroached on his side arrow, and he snagged hers. She snagged his foot in a choppy low-kick, forcing him to jump over her and double-take. She just grinned, already up and taking over his side, and it took a moment for Robin to realize it was nothing bad, not a fight but just a move to incorporate. They were putting on a show, and Robin finally realized that. He smiled, turning to the side to face her and she did the same to face him. He stepped forward onto her arrow and she did the same until it turned into something resembling the mambo with a distance of at least half a foot between them. She arched her neck back as she laughed, the bright lights reflecting off the beads of sweat on her face. He took her hands without thinking, turning under his arms, stopping as the two faced different directions, her hands let go for a moment to find a better hold. He pulled her back gently and she followed, their backs touching as he leaned forward. She tensed, crying out in surprise. He had completely forgotten-she wasn't used to such acrobatic stunts, like everyone else he hung around. And yet he could tell she was trying it, whether it was the pressure of all the eyes watching them or what. He couldn't tell if this was bravery or stupidity, maybe the latter if it hadn't been him under her. However, if he had to admit to himself it was stupid to even try this in the first place, he might just have to deny it.
She didn't give nearly enough power to come close to clearing over him, so he grabbed her waist and flipped her, bringing her back to the ground. Her eyes were wide, but she quickly fell back into the music, facing forward or just away from him as the song ended. Robin smiled at the cheering, watching Tori jump off the platform, casually taking her bag. He followed her, and they made their way through the thick crowd, Raven hovering near the edge.
"Well, that was fun." Tori smiled, looking at the ground.
"Yeah… " Agreed Robin, wondering how and if he should bring up the flip. He knew it was the right thing, but it didn't look like she wanted to talk about it. She looked at him, then past him, and he could just tell Raven was coming closer.
"Hi, Jason. Who's this?" She asked, seemingly innocent but Robin knew she was really just demanding an explanation in the future.
"Oh, Ra…chel." He improvised, Raven not flinching at all to the name, as Tori waited for an introduction. "This is Tori. We met a few days ago."
"Hi. Yeah, we're friends." Tori added, holding out her hand, and Robin watched her cower under Raven's emotionless gaze. She pulled her hand back. "Just friends." There was an awkward silence, and Robin cleared his throat.
"Stacy, is waiting for you." She said, Robin's brow furrowing and then he got it as she pronounced it Stahcy. Starfire.
"Stacy. Right." He agreed, and Raven nodded.
"I'll wait by the car." She walked away, leaving the two.
"So…Is Stacy your girlfriend?" Asked Tori, looking away.
"Well…Yeah, she is."
"Oh, okay."
"But we're just friends, so it doesn't matter-"
"Of course not." Her tone was frozen and she adjusted her bag.
"Are you okay? Do you need a ride home?"
"I'm fine, Jason."
"It's getting dark, and I was just asking. You don't need to be so cold about it."
"I'm not being cold! I'm fine."
"You were-"
"I'm fine. I can handle myself. Just…go back to Stacy." She sighed, walking away.
"Tori…" He called, but she didn't slow down. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, turning to look behind him. Raven was waiting by the door, her veil off her smooth granite face.
"Did he say yes?" Demanded Jade, Tara curious as well as they watched Tori walk into the shop.
"I never asked." Tori snapped, Jade raising her eyebrows.
"Touchy, touchy."
"What happened?" Asked Tara, curious.
"My dad got all protective, and then we played DDR-"
"Two very good reason to get nasty." Butted in Sam, Tori's mind seemingly reeling at the innuendos, before shaking her head.
"-but he said he never played it, and he beat me. Twice. And then we moved-"
"Like break dancing, right?" Asked Tara, and Tori nodded and sighed.
"Can I continue?" She snapped. "And he flipped me. Me. And this Indian girl came, one of his friends, and started talking about Stacy."
"Stahcy What a stupid name." Sam muttered.
"Wait, so he's taken? Whose gonna be the Jabberwock?" Snapped Jade, crossing her arms over her chest.
"How was he better than you? Was he lying?" Asked Tara, frankly amazed. "And how'd he flip you, I mean, you're not big or anything, but it's not like people just walk over to you and flip you."
"I don't think so. I think he might, well, be a Metahuman." She said, Tara opening her mouth in shock. Where had that come from? Were they that common enough that Tori could just assume some random guy she met was one?
"That's a pretty big guess." Tara said quickly.
"I know, but he's really strong, and if he wasn't lying about DDR, and he's never taken off his sunglasses in front of me. Ever. Even when we go inside. And his friend had really bright purple eyes."
"Violet eyes can be natural, rare, but natural." Butted in Sam once again. Tori glared, and Tara could see her friend was annoyed. She wanted sympathy, support, but none of the three were willing to give her any. It was Tori's problem, after all.
"And so what? As long as he doesn't go all psycho, it doesn't matter. It might actually be kinda cool." Waved off Jade, causing relief to spread over Tara. But why should she need that relief? She wasn't a metahuman, she hadn't done anything…Of course, as she thought she remembered Beast Boy's words. She wanted to know for sure, if anything just to remember. She looked back at Jade, who seemed indifferent to the fact that Tori thought her boyfriend was a metahuman. Tori, however, seemed a little nervous. Would she be nervous around Tara, if she happened to be one? Or would it be different, since they were friends?
"Look, we need a Jabberwock, and you've got the best option." Jade snapped, back to her commanding self, Tori's mouth dropping open. "Yeah, we saw you guys dancing. Nice kick." Tori looked at Tara incredulously, but Tara just shrugged, turning back to her Geometry book. She had a test tomorrow, and these couple Mad Tea Party costume-things were eating into her time, although the subject was quite far from her mind. Now, if it was a boy like Tori, it would be a different issue-and she wouldn't be dumb enough to chase him off, and hopefully get her mind off of her rather dark thoughts. Tara watched Tori look between the three of them, angry, confused and insulted.
"So, go make nice and get up on the block. You still need your Dinah costume, right? I wanna see what the seamstress is gonna do with that figure of yours. Like Starfire with boobs and a waist, and no fake tan." Jade waved off, Tori tensing her fingers and glaring as she half-stomped onto the podium. Her lips were pressed together, but any guilty feelings Tara had vanished. She watched the seamstress pinched back the shirt that was already snug against her chest, revealing a straight-hipped tiny-waisted and even bustier figure. She looked at her thin figure in one of the many mirrors and glared at the difference.
"How do you look like that?" Sam snapped, Tori ran a hand through her hair.
"I dunno. Pilates."
Jade's phone rang and she swore, sliding open the complicated phone, her eyes on the screen.
"Keep working on the dress. I wanna see it when we meet again this weekend, no final stitches." She commanded, dropping the phone in her bag and walking out the door. This wasn't surprising-she was Jade, a socialite of Jump City, constantly invited to parties, openings, shows. She was an A-Lister, to be blunt.
"Where to?" Tara asked, wondering where Jade would go next, in no doubt a stellar one-of-a-kind outfit.
"It's a secret." She called out behind her, not looking back.
"Does Stacy know about this?" Asked Raven, the veil covering her face once again as the pair walked the forty-five minute route to the Tower. People glanced once but not again, the sari not something considered strange for this town.
"We're just friends-" Robin defended, but Raven held up her hand.
"You didn't answer my question."
"No, she doesn't." Robin sighed.
"Should've known." Raven shook her head, her lips pressed together in a thin layer of disgust.
"Known what?"
"Nothing."
"No, it's not. I can feel it's not nothing."
"It's just that no one is oblivious to the Bat's conquests, and being his-" Robin's gaze had turned into a glare, his hands tightening. Harsh memories pooled back to him-memories that Raven had seen, which he was still a bit annoyed about. Raven caught his look, not missing a beat. "-partner, it's what you've seen through your late childhood and teens."
"It's not like that!" Robin defended, Raven's cold look not fading. "It's not." His voice was harsh, and Raven's face changed at least a little.
"I know about Liu-"
"I'm sure you do." Robin grumbled.
"-And Barbara. Then there's Bette and Donna-"
"Hey, hey. They're just friends." Robin interrupted, and Raven rolled her eyes and muttered something about the mask and his eyes.
"All I'm saying is, you haven't been raised to be faithful." Raven ignored his protests, continuing. "Just watch it."
Robin attempted an argument back, quite flustered. Raven knew him inside and out, which he still found rather disturbing no matter how much he cared for his friend. How could he explain that meeting Star and Raven completely flipped his views, let alone all the others girls he had met since being with the Titans? How could he just spill out that the Bat was an example of what not to do? Because, of course, he knew why, just as Raven did. He was familiar with the Bat's view on relationships, benefiting both parties physically. With Starfire, though, it was different. He cared for the alien deeply, and yes, she had a killer body, but she was his friend first and foremost, and Tori was just his friend.
As if on cue, both their communicators rang and they darted into an alley. Robin quickly switched to his mask, quickly fixing his hair in the way only Robin can do to get instant-perfect spikes. He pulled his own out, Cyborg's face on the screen.
"It's X."